I Know How to Follow Evidence
by Mandolin Reign
Summary: Capt. Jim Brass Knows how to follow evidence and not jump to conclusions, so when was it that he first knew about Sara and Grissom? GSR.


**I Know How to Follow Evidence**

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AN: This was a challenge at YTDAW to explain what and how Brass knows about Sara and Grissom. This is my take on it, and I hope you enjoy. _

_Spoilers: Many including: Butterflied, Way To Go, Toe Tags, Fannysmackin', Happenstance, Leaving Las Vegas, Law of Gravity, Empty Eyes, The Good the Bad and the Dominatrix, and Living Doll. _

_Disclaimers: I don't own CSI._

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I guess if I think about it I have known that something was up for a while. I mean when most people call in someone from another jurisdiction for help on a case they are __experienced_, which is really just another way of saying _old_. Sara was young. She was young and beautiful. Yes, she knew what she was doing. Yes, she was well educated, but I knew Gil must have had ulterior motives for asking her to move from San Francisco. 

It took awhile, but she eventually found her nitch here. I adore her, as does Nick and Greg. It took Warrick awhile, after all she did come here to investigate him, but he is now one of the few she considers to be a friend. Catherine and Sara have their ups and downs. I've learned that anytime you put two strong women in a room together they are bound to bang heads once in awhile, but after seven years when one needs help the other is there.

When Sara first arrived she and Gil would casually flirt with each other. They looked like they were having fun, and it didn't interfere with the job so for those of us who noticed it just didn't matter.

Things began to change, became more strained between the two of them. I'm not sure if that was before or after Sara started dating Hank, but what else was she suppose to do? Gil didn't attempt to move their relationship any further so she moved on. She was young, smart, beautiful, and she deserved someone who acknowledged it. Of course Gil didn't take it too well, in fact he was out of line with her on more than one occasion, but she forgave him. If only he could have forgiven himself. Eventually Hank was history, but that didn't change the distance between Gil and Sara. Their fun, flirty relationship was in the past, or so I thought.

Everyone has their breaking point, even Gil Grissom, and he lost it on a case a few years back. A young beautiful woman was murdered, her throat slashed. She had a remarkable resemblance to our Sara. I wasn't the only one who noticed, but no one talked about it. Gil suddenly became obsessed with finding her murderer, working more overtime than I had seen him pull in years.

I think he was too tired to remember that I was in the room when he made his confession to Dr. Lurie. Telling him about being set in a career then someone young and beautiful comes along, offers more, and tempts you. Gil told Lurie he couldn't do it. That was when I knew for sure why Sara had been invited to Vegas. Gil was tempted, but when the opportunity came along, he couldn't go through with it. I am not sure who I felt more sorry for: Gil who could not let himself be happy out of fear it would all be gone someday, or Sara who had put her life on hold for a man who couldn't make up his mind.

For a while things became even more distant between the two, neither going out of their way to see the other anymore. We all saw it, but no one said anything. Then slowly things got better. Conversations were no longer forced between the two of them, and I even caught them flirting once or twice. I even found myself wondering…well, no I won't jump to conclusions. I am a detective, and I once ran the night shift at the lab, so I decided to follow the evidence.

After I was shot, everyone came to visit, but once I was doing better the visits became fewer and farther between. The only exception was Gil and Sara, but they didn't do anything too obvious like walk in and out together. Although when Sara was sitting with me Gil would usually show up, and if Gil came by to check up on me, Sara would stop by before he left. Coincidence? Maybe.

Once back on the job, I found myself thinking about my surroundings more and more, people, things. Was the scene safe? What was happening? I found myself being even more observant. We had a, well for lack of a better word, interesting scene involving a chainsaw, two men and a garage full of destroyed furniture and appliances. Considering the gruesome scene, Sara and Gil settled into casual conversation while they worked in sync with each other. I stood in the doorway, but I could still hear their conversation about the first time they met. There was a fondness in the way Gil looked at the women telling the story.

A few weeks later the city was tormented by a gang of roving thugs beating up anyone they pleased. I went to the lab to discuss the case with Gil. When I found him he was headed away from me so I followed. He joined Sara who was kicking the crap out of a stuffed dummy. I waited at the door, unnoticed, and I watched Gil walk up behind her and say something like, "Pick on someone your own size."

To which she quickly replied, "You volunteering?" The glint in her eye when she said that told me I should wait until they were finished.

A couple minutes later Gil came out of the room, and seemed very surprised to see anyone at the door. If he had been in there with any other person, I don't think he would have cared, but something seemed different.

Awhile after that I had had a particularly long night and decided to see if Gil wanted to join me for a drink, I was standing four feet from Sara when she said, "I won't wait up," and turned and walked the opposite way down the hall. I don't think she even knew I was there.

I paused for a brief second, knowing exactly what I had heard, and then made my way to Gil's office door, "What won't she be waiting up for?"

He looked at me like a deer in headlights for a brief second, and then quickly recovered, "My call. Sara is off tonight, and I told her if I need her I would call. She said that she won't wait up for it."

"Sure," he only shrugged, so I decided not to push the subject here, "You wanna get a drink?"

He stood and thought for a second, "No, it was a long shift, I just feel like going home and getting some sleep."

"Well if no one is there waiting up for you, what does it matter?"

He paused and thought for a moment, "I guess it doesn't. One drink."

We went out for a drink, but didn't talk about anything really. Casual conversation about the weather and old cases, but that was it. I figured it was his secret to keep if that was what he wanted, but it didn't mean I couldn't keep following the evidence, besides I knew, I just didn't have solid proof yet, but yeah…I knew.

A couple months later Gil decided he needed time off. It didn't take an investigator to notice the difference in Sara when he left. She was quieter, a little withdrawn, and not as outgoing as she usually is with those she is comfortable, but not to the point that I worried about her well-being, just enough to notice the difference. When he came back he practically ignored everyone else in the lab when he saw her in the hall, and nearly chased her to the locker room. Employers don't do that to their employees when they return from an extended leave.

Life calmed down somewhat after Gil returned, and it went on for a while, but then one case confirmed what I suspected. Sara was hurt at a scene, and while I know Gil cares what happens to all of his CSIs, I also know that he truly feared for her safety, physically and emotionally, more than I have ever seen him with anyone else.

I was worried about Sara after the bastard confessed, so I went by the lab to see how she was doing. Before I even got out of my car, I saw the two of them walk out into the night. She was visibly upset, and his arm was draped around her shoulder. There was no mistaking that gesture. I figured she was in capable hands, so I drove home secure in the knowledge my evidence brought me.

Then that idiot friend of mine nearly destroyed it! He spent the night with the lady of the night, oh Heather what is this hold you have over him? I have no doubt that he loves Sara, yet it was as obvious as the nose on my face that he hurt Sara by putting so much into helping Heather when she didn't want the help to begin with. My guess is he never talked to Sara about it, just went off on his own, but Sara must be a better person than I am because the next time I saw the two of them together he told her, "It's all yours my dear," and she smiled her response.

Now though, we have reached the real breaking point. Apparently the others now also know about their little secret, which could be a lot of fun except that crazy bleach bitch in the next room has taken Sara. Gil is in there now with her, and I really believe that if she doesn't tell him what he needs to know to find Sara he may strangle her. I'm scared now. I fear for my surrogate daughter's safety and I fear for my friend's sanity should she not be okay, but I can't think about that now. She will be fine. She will be. She _has_ _to_ be!

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The End _


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